Investigating changes in thinking in Parkinson's (England)

This project will investigate mental processing in Parkinson's. The researchers will study how people with Parkinson's choose the right thing to do at the right time compared to people without the condition.

What: Participants will be asked to do a range of tasks and undergo brain scans.

Where: Eastern England

Who: 40 people with Parkinson's and 40 people without any neurological condition

Parkinson's Progressive Markers Initiative (London)

The Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI) aims to identify biomarkers for Parkinson's that could be used to diagnose and monitor the condition.

What: Participants will undergo a comprehensive series of assessments including brain scans; collection of blood, cerebral spinal fluid, and urine samples; as well as cognitive and motor evaluations.

Where: London

Who: People with or without Parkinson's who have a family history of Parkinson's, or are from Eastern European (Ashkenazi) or Basque background, or already have a known genetic mutation for Parkinson's.

Hallucinations in people with Parkinson’s (England)

This study aims to improve our understanding of visual hallucinations in people with Parkinson’s.

What: You’ll be invited to take part in an eye examination as well as 3 face-to-face and 4 follow-up over the phone assessments over a period of 91 weeks.

Where: London, Cambridge or Newcastle

Who: People with Parkinson’s who are over 60 and have also been diagnosed with dementia. The research team will ask you to choose someone who knows you well- such as a partner, carer or friend- to also take part as a study partner.

This research is investigating whether electrical stimulation devices can be used to improve walking in people with Parkinson's.

What: 4 assessment sessions lasting around 90 minutes each

Where: London and Salisbury

Who: People with Parkinson’s who have difficulty with aspects of their walking but are able to walk 10 metres without the assistance of another person. Participants must not have cardiac pacemakers or other active implanted medical devices and should not have other medical conditions that affect walking or the lower leg area.

The 100,000 Genomes Project (England)

The 100,000 Genomes Project aims to transform NHS healthcare by integrating genomic medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of health conditions. The researchers are studying people with early onset and familial Parkinson's and related affected and unaffected family members to understand more about the condition and help develop new tests and treatments.

Where: England

Who: 1000 people with Parkinson’s (either early onset before the age of 45 or familial)

Investigating a new treatment for Parkinson's (England)

Research suggests that iron can build up in the brains of people with Parkinson's. The SKY study is looking at whether a drug, that can help to remove iron from the body, could improve symptoms or even slow the progression of Parkinson's.

What: You will be asked to take either the drug or a placebo twice a day for a period of nine months. You'll need to make nine monthly visits to the trial site lasting approximately 3-4 hours as well as weekly visits for blood testing.

Where: Bury, Exeter, Newcastle and Plymouth

Who: People with Parkinson's who were diagnosed within the last three years and have been on stable medication for at least three months.

Investigating the role of inflammation in Parkinson's (London)

Researchers at King's College London wants to understand how inflammation - one of the body’s natural defences - could be involved in Parkinson's. This study will test a new imaging technique that could be used to look at inflammation in the brain.

Where: London Who: People with Parkinson's who were diagnosed less than two years ago and are not currenly taking levodopa or were diagnosed over eight years ago and are on stable medication.

Deadline: July 2019 Read more about this study in the information sheet Participant Information Sheet (PDF, 276KB)

If you're interested in taking part contact: Dr George Dervenoulas, King's College London 07931509277 [email protected]

Steady together: A guide to help people with Parkinson’s who fall (South England)

Charlotte Owen at the University of Southampton wants to design a guide to help people with Parkinson's who fall and those close to them.

What: Two questionnaires, taking no longer than 30 minutes to complete, asking about your experiences of falling. Some participants will be invited to take part in an interview at home, lasting no more than one hour.

Who: 30-40 people with Parkinson’s who are living in their own home and have had at least one fall in the past year. We are also interested in the experiences of close friends and relatives of people with Parkinson’s.

Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST) and people with Parkinson’s-related dementia (North East London)

Jacki Stansfeld at the North East London NHS Foundation Trust would like people with a Parkinson's-related dementia and their partner/caregiver to help her understand if tailored, one-to-one sessions of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CTS) can help with memory and movement problems.

What: A trained professional will visit your home to deliver CST training to your partner/caregiver. Your caregiver will then deliver the therapy at home over a period of 10 weeks, with regular phone support from the CST professional. You will be asked to complete research questionnaires on your experiences of the therapy.

Where: North East London NHS Boroughs of Redbridge, Havering, Waltham Forest or Barking and Dagenham

Who: 20 people diagnosed with either Parkinson’s with Mild Cognitive Impairment, Parkinson’s Disease Dementia or Lewy Body Dementia, and their partner/carer.

Research suggests that a combination of exercises and relaxation techniques, known as bladder training, may help people to control their bladder and reduce urinary incontinence. Around 7 in 10 people with Parkinson’s experience urinary problems or incontinence - this study will test a new bladder control programme designed specifically for people with Parkinson's.

What: Complete an online survey which should take no longer than 30 minutes. The questionnaire is also available in paper form and can be requested from Dr Young and the team.

Where: UK wide

Who: 300 people with Parkinson’s who are able to walk, or attempt to walk on a daily basis, and 300 people without Parkinson’s as a comparison to the above sample.

Understanding the relationship between anxiety, attention and walking ability (UK-wide)

Dr Will Young at Brunel University London wants to understand how anxiety may affect attention and walking in people with and without Parkinson’s. The aim of the research is to understand if psychological factors are linked to increased movement difficulties.

What: Three visits to the research centre over 20 weeks. You will be randomised either into the treatment group or the control group and each visit will include a range of questionnaires and assessments.

Where: North East England

Who: 72 people diagnosed with Parkinson’s who have troublesome bladder symptoms.

Brain training for Parkinson's (South England)

Aileen Ho at the University of Reading wants to understand if thinking performance may be improved by playing a training programme in the form of a computer game.

What: Attending 2 face to face visits at Reading University (lasting approximately 2 hours each). At each visit you will complete questionnaires and thinking tasks and have an MRI where you will need to lie still for up to 45 minutes. You will also be asked to take home an electronic game device and play two 30 minute sessions, 5 days a week for a month.

Where: South England

Who: 36 people diagnosed with Parkinson’s who currently don’t play many electronic or computer games but are happy to do so.

Understanding the loss of brain cells in Parkinson's through PET scans (London & South East England)

Dr Gennaro Pagano at Kings College, London wants to try to understand the mechanism behind the loss of brain cells in Parkinson’s through PET brain scans. PET scans are powerful and safe brain scans and allow researchers to witness very small chemical changes taking place in the brain.

What: 3 visits to Kings College: one involving consent, clinical assessments and blood tests (3 hours) and the following two will consist of the scans (each scan will take approx 1.5 hours)

Where: Kings College, London

Who: 6 people who were diagnosed with Parkinson’s in the last 2 years, who are not taking Parkinson’s medication and who are between 40-80 years of age.